Smug

It's not a word we use a lot these days. It means primarily "contentedly confident of one's ability, superiority, or correctness" (although it used to mean more at "trim or smart in dress"). At first glance it sounds like a good thing, right? I mean, we are told that we should have self-esteem, that we should be confident in our own abilities. Being sure that you're correct is a good thing, right? Okay, maybe confidence in your own superiority isn't so great, but surely smug is a generally reasonable goal to aim for ... right?

Of course, we all know better. "Smug" is never used in a positive sense. It is bad. However it is defined, we all understand that smug is equivalent to arrogant. What is interesting about the concept of being smug is that it doesn't mean that you are wrong; it simply means that you are over-confident and displaying it. It says, "I'm right and I know it and I don't need anything else on this topic." The opposite of this type of "smug", then, is "humility".

Here's my problem. "Smug" isn't used a lot these days, but it sure is experienced a lot. Look at Hollywood's contribution to society, for instance. They have used their platform to transform our culture to their perspective, whether it is sexual mores, homosexuality, politics, or religion. They haven't approached it with humility. "We're right and we know it." Rarely do you see a product coming out of Hollywood that has questions attached. No, no, they are sure they are right and they'll make the point in such a way that infers "only an idiot would disagree".

Look at politics. The president and the Democrats are smugly certain that the reason there is a fight over health care reform is that it is about politics, not principle. The Rush Limbaughs of this world are equally smug on their own conservatism. I don't mean they're right or wrong. I simply mean they're contentedly confident of their own superiority. They're arrogant. The Liberals are dismissive of the Tea Party and the Conservatives are dismissive of the progressives and we generally end up folding our arms, smug in our political views, baffled why everyone else can't see it.

Look at too many in churches. Denominations are borne on smug theology. "We're right and you're wrong and the conversation is over because it can't be any other way." It doesn't matter what those differences are. Maybe this side things that "contemporary music" is the key and that side is quite sure that "traditional music" is more sacred. Really? That is the debate? Maybe this side thinks that only submersion is valid baptism and that side thinks that the sprinkling will suffice. That's the reason for the division?

Christianity, of all things, has no room to be smug. As I said, smug has nothing to do with being right or wrong. It has to do with attitude. And one of the defining characteristics of a genuine Christian ought to be humility. I could go lots of places to show this (e.g., Eph 4:2; Col 3:12; 1 Peter 5:5), but the clearest one is Christ Himself. If there was anyone ever in the history of mankind that had the right to be "contentedly confident of one's ability, superiority, or correctness", it was Jesus. He had ultimate ability, ultimate superiority, ultimate correctness. But just about the whole world today knows that one of His defining characteristics was meekness. He was confident of His ability, superiority, and correctness, but He wasn't arrogant. Here is what Paul says about it:

³ Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more important than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:3-8).

The secret is right there. Humility is not humiliating yourself; it is counting others as more important than yourself. It doesn't diminish you; it elevates others. And it is the command to every Christian.

Of course, we don't have the room for complacent confidence in our own superiority or correctness. We all have room to improve and all have room for error. Still, even while being correct, we need not be arrogant. If we approach others as important rather than irrelevant, it changes our attitude. We don't need to be smug. We can be right and still elevate others ... can't we?